3 men to rule them all

Whats crackin people? My name is Hursty, ya'll will get to know me and the fellas better over time but as we all know the 2008 NBA Draft is coming up.

A bit about me. If you wanna talk that's cool. To know more about me, read my bio when you click my name, if you wanna argue some insane stupid ass point I'll just ignore you. Fair enough? On with the show then.

My amazing gift to the people of the Internet is the 3 man. These are the guys who do a little bit of everything. They score, board, dish, and are (supposed) to play defence as well as run the lanes.

You have variations of the 3 man, but if you wanted to look at them more closely follow my lead and I'll take you out of the darkness that is mystery.

You have your offensive minded guys like Carmelo Anthony and your exact opposite in Bruce Bowen while moving into the Battier type players of the league.

Then there are the athletic freaks-Like LeBron James. Thing about LeBron is that he helps the team, but right now he's an athletic specimen and can rely defensively on his superior strength and agility to bump and move offensive players outta the way. Dude is built like a brick shithouse.

If you wanna go deeper, there are the 'all rounders' like Tayshaun Prince and Paul Pierce and Shawn Marion. These guys are long, athletic and know how to use their bodies in all situations.

Don't get it twisted here, LeBron's an amazing player but you cant argue that he has the skillset of Paul Pierce or the defence of Prince. Hes in limbo here. But enough of that.

If you want the perfect example of a 3 man, look no further than Ron Artest. Hate him as you may, hes a brilliant perimeter player who will absolutely lock down your best offensive weapon while contributing a big 20.5, 5.8 boards, 3.5 assists, 2.3 steals and .7 blocks a night on the reg. Say what you will about his incidents hes the most rounded player at the 3 in the League right now. He's a veteran player, is still relatively young and plays with more heart than a dude with a cardiomegaly.

But, as I said, its the Draft and this is time for the best players to shine their brilliance upon as. There are a few flippers and maybes that appear down the bottom so lemme know if ya'll think otherwise.

1. Joe Alexander, West Virginia. Junior.

Explosive as any player in the draft but not likely to be a top 5 pick, J.A stayed in school and got rewarded for his hard work while playing in whats known traditionally as a real strong conference and a weaker team. His Draft workouts having reportedly been outstanding and his stock has risen considerably. He has the body at 6'8 and 210 but will need to polish his game a bit around the midrange and use his size in the post.


2. Anthony Randolph, LSU, Freshman.



At 6'10 hes as tall as a 4 but hes gotta put the muscle on at 200 pounds, real quick but a difficult pick for a team to take. He may blow up in the NBA or fade into the hair of the boys from Hanson. Teams will look to pick him into the mid 1st round based on his ability to handle the rock and his high skill-set. Boom or bust though....


3. Nicolas Batum, France, 1988.



A shooter who can light it up but struggled this year with his shot by European accounts, he knows exactly what his role will be on a team and the consistency of his performances will seem almost Battier like. Teams looking for an active, young role player need look no further, with the ability to play the 2 at 6'8 his height and skill set will be valued greatly by stronger teams looking for that next step. He could go top 8 but if things go as expected will get picked up before the 18th pick or so. A good future is definitely possible for the Frenchman who can still put a bit of weight on at 210. Please just don't turn into a Marco Bellineli.


4. Danilo Gillianari, Italy, 1988.



Much has been said about this kid, dude can handle the rock and score at will but seems to be another offensive minded European who plays absolutely NO defence and comes across as arrogant and self-minded - the opposite of Batum. He says he wants to play in NY or NJ only, and I feel its largely because of the native population in those two cities. I just cant see him going at 6 to N.Y but with them anything is possible. NJ is more likely but he can go sit his ass on the bench and get splinters Like Tiago Splitter in Europe.... damn Brazilian.


5. Anonymous.



This right here is where it gets hard to pick players, they can drop all the way from just outside the lottery to the 2nd round. Although that's unlikely for guys like Donte Greene and Davon Jefferson ( his stock PLUMMETED after the season) they should be safe, it really depends on team needs and the showings that players had on workouts. Those pick ups include Bill Walker (and his knee), James Gist and Will Daniels all the way to Patrick Ewing Jr....!



There are certainly some steals in this for the teams who take a gamble that pays off and the chance for them to lose their jobs if it all goes wrong.



Cats like Mike Beasley and Ryan Anderson can shift to the 3 from the 4 spot if needs be because of a). Size b). Shooting range.



Then there are the swingmen who play the two but can slide to the 3 to give minutes to resting starters. Guys like Brandon Rush and Chris Douglas Roberts (dude is WAY underrated) can find minutes here if need arises.



Hope ya'll learnt a little about me and my opinions and whats going down for the misinformed. I KNOW there is gonna be beef with what I've written but throw it at me, Like I said if its smart I'll answer, stupid and...... that's all you get.


Peace, Hursty.